KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — The government has been urged to promote Form Six education to change the current perception of parents and students who consider it as last resort for those unable to secure a place in university.

Anuar Abd Manap (BN-Sekijang) said the Form Six education should be held in high esteem as it had many advantages that were often underestimated by the people.

“Parents and students should receive further explanation (on Form Six education) as it is a fast track to entering a degree programme, requiring only two years, compared to a diploma programme which would require at least three years,” he said while debating a motion of thanks for the Royal Address by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong here today.

Anuar said in terms of cost, Form Six education was also much cheaper compared to obtaining a diploma from local universities, which forced students to take up loans from the National Higher Education Fund.

“The STPM (Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia) certificate (obtained during Form Six studies) is also valid to be used to further education indefinitely, as opposed to a matriculation certificate, which is only valid up to two years after finishing the course,” he said, adding that the chances of getting a job in the public sector were brighter for those holding an STPM certificate as compared to those with diploma.

On Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) graduates, Anuar said the group found it difficult to further their studies as its accreditation was carried out by two ministries, namely human resources and education.

He therefore, hoped a single accreditation system for TVET could be implemented as soon as possible, as proposed in the Eleventh Malaysia Plan (11MP) to achieve the target number of skilled workers by 2020.

When tabling the 11MP in May last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak outlined the goal of increasing the number of skilled workers to 35 per cent by 2020, driven by efforts of strengthening the TVET, so that skilled graduates stood on par with academic and professional graduates.